Flightline Fever Taking Off; Destination Unknown

The passionate sports fan lives in constant hope for a glimpse of greatness, which is why, nearly a week after the smoke cleared from the fire in Flightline's tail, his performance in the Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park Dec. 26 continued to reverberate across the racing landscape. In the wake of the Malibu, his trainer, John Sadler, suggested that Flightline could have a career of historic dimensions. Furthermore, according to Sadler, he will run only four times as a 4-year-old. The two statements would seem to contradict each other, especially when considered by those who prefer their history written large enough to be viewed without a magnifying glass. Defining greatness in the racehorse always has been a slippery proposition, very much a product of competitive and economic context. There was a time when the best horses, usually owned by their breeders, ran often for modest purses and stopped only when they could no longer compete. Historians, therefore, agree that Man o' War was one kind of great, Citation another. Only a fool would compare Round Table and Ruffian in terms other than both were great. Secretariat defined his own greatness, Rachel Alexandra hers. And so on. How, then, will Flightline make history? He will never stand an extensive campaign. He will never carry weights above 126 pounds. He could set track records, but they are ephemeral, made to be broken, and speed figures hold no appeal to racing scholars who are reluctant to apply handicapping tools to posterity. He could go abroad to win piles of money put on the table by dicey political regimes, for what that's worth. Or perhaps, if Flightline's reputation continues to proceed him, his people could demand huge paydays at domestic racetracks in hopes he could be that rare creature who cries to be seen in person. Shakespeare in the park, not on Netflix. One of Flightline's four races will be the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) in June at Belmont Park. Another will be the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland in November. The other two will be races either intended to get him to his primary targets in peak condition, or events so rich in purse incentives they cannot be ignored. Unless Flightline wins each of those four races by 10-plus lengths—as has become his custom—let's not talk about him in terms of history. And even if he does, he should be placed in a category of the modern Thoroughbred racehorse as a Fabergé egg, delicate and valuable beyond words. But if that is all his people aspire to—four races at age 4 after three races at 3—he will be little more than an exciting footnote beneath the game's greatest names. Let us then appreciate Flightline for what he is. He is a gorgeous specimen of a Thoroughbred, sporting a rich, blood bay coat, classic black to the knees and hocks, black mane and flowing tail, with a small glyph of white between the eyes that has yet to be translated. He is built for quick acceleration to impressive speeds that can be maintained, so far, over seven furlongs of ground. Those who are reserving judgement until he unfurls that speed around a second turn are justified, although to watch Flightline at work in the morning and at play in the afternoon indicates that no reasonable distance will be safe in his sights. He is also an investment of rare value by interests of considerable worth who see Flightline not only as a ticket to the big time in the stallion market, but also as nothing less than the successor to his sire, Tapit, who turns 21 in 2022. It is this last point that will drive the Flightline bus, coloring every decision made by his trainer and his ownership. As a diversion, while awaiting Flightline's next breeze, his next schooling session, his next parade to the post, it can be fun playing the comparison game. Ghostzapper immediately comes to mind, whose nine wins in 11 starts culminated with one soaring appearance as a 5-year-old in the Met Mile. Others on a possible continuum represented by Flightline include Ack Ack and Coaltown, born sprinters who evolved to dominate at 10 furlongs. Then there are those giants of raw speed whose names can only be summoned with the greatest care—Dr. Fager and Frankel (GB). Allusions to Dr. Fager are blasphemous, so let's not go there. Frankel and his record of 14-0 are similarly daunting, but since he did it all on grass in England—a far cry from Flightline's future—there figured to be no harm in consulting a British colleague for a few thoughts. And since Brough Scott wrote the definitive biography of Henry Cecil, Frankel's trainer, he seemed a likely candidate. "He looks majestically supreme," Scott began in an email, after viewing the Malibu, "and both in style and career path he is a fascinating contrast to Frankel. "By this stage Frankel had already won all of his nine races, five of them at group 1 level, having first run as a 2-year old in August," Scott continued. "Frankel was explosive almost to runaway point in his early career. He had also become a bit more tractable, even at the front, by the end of his 3-year-old season. But while Flightline has got to the lead in his races, he doesn't seem a runaway—just a different dimension to the others. "From the images I have seen he looks a bigger, more rangy horse than Frankel, who stood 16.1 and, while well-proportioned, would not, I believe, have been picked out on looks just standing in the box," Scott wrote. "But it was Frankel's movement that I remember. His walk had something of a panther's stalk about it, and at full gallop he was the nearest thing I have seen to that wonderful French phrase ventre é terre." The term is applied to the way racehorses are depicted in classic art, with forelegs flung out and hind legs thrust back to give the impression of a flat out, headlong gallop. The literal translation is "belly to the ground." "It seems to me that Flightline has been very well served by having his career so delayed," Scott added, "and the coming year holds infinite promise if he holds together." "Ifs" abound because, you know, horse racing. Still, it's okay to dream. Flightline has that look of eagles, and there is nothing wrong with a little innocent equine hero worship, even if that hero will be training a whole lot more than racing.